The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.